Preface: Analyzing the universality of the human body to bolster the fundamentality toward retaining individuality

3)Understanding breathing movements to enhance the spontaneity of the body

1)The human being is the distinctive species, which differentiates itself from the other living beings on earth. The human body shaped by its characteristic ways of moving provides the connotation to ponder the eventual aim of humankind. Thereby, the upright standing symbolizes the essence of the human evolution toward attaining the total freedom of the individual as it is. And human hands liberated from the function of locomotion takes a crucial role in enabling humans to satisfy their distinct needs for survival as human beings. In principle, the body of every life form constantly moves to maintain its life until it perishes, and each species optimizes its ways of moving to meet its requirements to survive. However, the upright standing necessarily reduces the overall mobility of the body and even increases the vulnerability to the gravitational stress, which perniciously erodes the physical balance; despite all the disadvantages that restrict physicality, humans can benefit from this physically imperfect position in fostering creativity and individuality. Weight shifting with four limbs requires full attention and consumes much energy; therefore, more frequent rest and longer recovery time are necessary to sustain the body than the upright standing needs. By contrast, the human body in the standing position is to stabilize itself with a high level of energy efficiency and thereby to accumulate the surplus energy more than for its survival. Hence, humans driven by the surplus energy can create the physical state that promotes the unique cohesion of brain activities and free hands. In doing so, the uniqueness of the independent body naturally manifests itself in its free movements oriented toward obtaining its sovereignty for meeting the desires of its own, and this moment of freedom is what humans pursue. Hence, the notion of freedom for humankind is inexplicable apart from the understanding of individuality formed by the needs of one’s own. The human being’s sense of individuality is more decisive in explaining humanity than any other creatures possess; thus, the freedom that humans pursue means the holistic state resulting from the actions to meet one’s requirements to survive as one is. Thereby, individuality is the critical trait that defines humanity.

2)Individuality is an inherent feature rooted in one’s body that drives one to attain the freedom of one’s own; thus, it is the virtue to be retained, not to be obtained. And one’s spontaneous movements materialize one’s individuality as it is; therefore, one can focus on one’s action when one is aware of oneself. In that sense, fostering spontaneity of the human body is a prerequisite to developing human abilities to meet human desires.

3)The human body spontaneously sustains itself by perpetual movements in which breathing performs an essential role in initiating all types of physical actions by regulating the internal energy circulation in interacting with nature. Respiration comprises one inhalation and one exhalation in balancing of inflows and outflows to maintain the state of equilibrium. In detail, during inhalation, the body becomes stretched in taking oxygen to generates energy. By contrast, the body becomes relaxed in releasing energy from itself. And the respiratory mechanism controlled by the abdominal movements induces the continuous up-and-down motions that affect every single cell in the body at the same time and thereby enable the body to react in unison. And the following factors; the condition of the body and the mental state are decisive to dictate how breathing flows; furthermore, these elements are entirely dependent on the state of the individual’s body and mind. On that point, contemplating what drives one to move in specific ways is vital in analyzing one’s breathing flow in which one’s movements originate. Thereby, the human respiration research encompassed the individualized approach to one’s breathing flow forms the basis that bolsters the holistic understanding of human movement and humanity.

: The Diaphragmatic Breathing and The Abdominal Breathing

The ways to produce tensions in the body differentiate between the diaphragmatic breathing and the abdominal breathing. Otherwise, both forms of respiration take the same role in maintaining the balance of the body.

: The Characteristics of the Diaphragmatic Breathing

-The diaphragmatic breathing is to generate more energy than the abdominal breathing does for locomotion and intense activities that require frequent weight shifting.

-Inhaling through the mouth causes the instant reactions of the diaphragm to contract abdominal muscles.

-During exhalation, the vertically stretched body releases energy and becomes relaxed and bent forward down to the ground; this passive descending motion driven by the body weight generates additional kinetic energy regardless of the degree of velocity.

-Breathing through the mouth to activate the diaphragm differs from the mouth breathing. The mouth breathing occurs when the abdominal muscle group related to respiration is incapable of producing enough power to control the diaphragm; therefore, the muscles in the chest, shoulders, and the neck are more engaged in respiratory movements than abdominal muscles to adjust the abdominal pressure regulating the motions of lungs. In other words, this abnormal breathing called the chest breathing or the thoracic breathing causes unnecessary tensions in the chest, shoulders, and the neck that restrict the organic movement flow. Thus, the abdominal muscles associated with the respiratory system remain loosened perpetually and eventually become incapable of regulating the breathing flow.

: The Characteristics of the Abdominal Breathing

-The abdominal breathing is to relax and stabilize the body.

-The nasal breathing is naturally relevant to the abdominal breathing. Inhaling through the nose causes the lateral expansion of the abdomen; thus, the location of the center of mass stays below the waistline.

-While breathing abdominally, all body parts except the abdominal muscles associated with respiration can relax; because the diaphragm does not contract hard to expand the body. Therefore, the level of tension caused by the abdominal breathing is low compared to the diaphragmatic breathing produces in general.

-Exhaling through both the mouth and the nose at the same time is beneficial to release the air entirely from lungs, and to relax the facial muscles as well. During expiration, all body parts are naturally relaxed, including the facial muscles; hence, the mouth becomes open slightly. The compressed lips necessarily produce tensions transmitted to the face, the neck, and the shoulders; thus, it impedes the natural breathing flow.

-The nasal breathing can lead the diaphragmatic breathing if the abdominal muscles can contract hard enough with a limited supply of oxygen; this way of breathing takes practice based on a proper understanding of breathing mechanisms and thereby does not occur spontaneously in the natural state of the body unless it may end up with the chest breathing.